Friday of the Fifth Week of Easter
(Acts 15:22-31; John 15:12-17)
There is no inherent contradiction in being both Christ’s slaves and his friends. A slave can win the confidence of his or her master to be treated as a friend and even as a relative. Bishop Edward Braxton once wrote an article about a slave in Georgia who labored for a Catholic family. There was such mutual love between her and her masters that the woman chose to stay with the family after Emancipation and was eventually buried in the family plot.
Being slaves to Christ means that we follow his directives implicitly. When he tells us to love those who hurt us, we get past our outrage and at least pray for them. But there is no need to dwell long on our slavery. Jesus has set us free so that in following him, we do so willingly and meritoriously.
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